Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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The Marketing Research Process:
An Overview
>learningobjectives
After reading this chapter, you should understand . . .
1 Research is decision- and dilemma-centered.
2 The clarified research question is the result of careful exploration
and analysis and sets the direction for the research project.
3 How value assessments and budgeting influence the process for
proposing research and, ultimately, research design.
4 What is included in research design, data collection, and data
analysis.
5 Research process problems to avoid.
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We rejoin Visionary Insights Jason Henry as he works on the MindWriter
CompleteCare customer satisfaction project. At this stage in the MindWriter research MindWriter
process, Jason Henrys task is to help MindWriters project director, Myra Wines, define
the correct information to collect. Henry and Wines have just spent the day at the CompleteCare
facility in Austin and with other MindWriter managers who are influential to CompleteCares
success. They spent much of their time with Gracie Uhura, MindWriters marketing manager.
the sun, the sky, and the moon. She wants to know the
too.
tom line. You can bet someone will want to know how
department.
developing research.
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>behindthescenescontd
my complaint, but once they understood it, they per-
thing Gracie says she wants, just what she wants that
Writers usually treat the research task as a sequential process involving several clearly defined steps. No one claims that research requires completion of each step before going to
the next. Recycling, circumventing, and skipping occur. Some steps are begun out of sequence, some are carried out simultaneously, and some may be omitted. Despite these variations, the idea of a sequence is useful for developing a project and for keeping the project
orderly as it unfolds.
Exhibit 4-1 models the sequence of stages in the research process. We refer to it often
as we discuss each stage and step in subsequent chapters. Our discussion of the questions
that guide project planning and data gathering is incorporated into the model (see the elements within the inverted pyramid in Exhibit 4-1 and compare them with the elements in
Exhibit 4-2). Exhibit 4-1 also organizes this chapter and introduces the remainder of the
book.
The research process begins much as the opening vignette suggests. A management
dilemma triggers the need for a decision. For MindWriter, a growing
number of complaints about postpurchase service started the process. In
other situations, a controversy arises,
a major commitment of resources is
called for, or conditions in the environment signal the need for a decision. For MindWriter, the critical
event could have been a competitors
introduction of new technology.
Such events cause managers to reconsider their purposes or objectives,
define a problem for solution, or develop strategies for solutions they
have identified.
In our view of the research
process, the management question
its origin, selection, statement, exploration, and refinementis the
critical activity in the sequence.
Throughout the chapter we emphasize problem-related steps. A familiar quotation from Albert Einstein,
no less apt today than when it was
written, supports this view:
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Exploration
Stage 2
Exploration
Stage 1
Research
Proposal
Research Design
Strategy
(type, purpose, time frame, scope, environment)
Sampling
Design
Chapter 6
Chapters 717
Stage 3
Data Collection
Design
Chapters 35
Legend
Research Reporting
Management
Decision
Stage 6 Stage 5
Stage 4
Instrument Development
& Pilot Testing
Chapter 18
Chapters 1922
Chapter 23
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The formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter
of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems
from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.1
management-research
question hierarchy process
of sequential question
formulation that leads a
manager or researcher from
management dilemma to
investigative questions.
management dilemma the
problem or opportunity that
requires a marketing decision.
A useful way to approach the research process is to state the basic dilemma that prompts
the research and then try to develop other questions by progressively breaking down
the original question into more specific ones. You can think of the this process as the
management-research question hierarchy. You can follow the research process as it develops for MindWriter in Exhibit 4-2.
The process begins at the most general level with the management dilemma. This is
usually a symptom of an actual problem, such as:
Rising costs.
The discovery of an expensive chemical compound that would increase the efficacy
of a drug.
Increasing tenant move-outs from an apartment complex.
Declining sales.
A larger number of product defects during the manufacture of an automobile.
An increasing number of letters and phone complaints about postpurchase service (as
at MindWriter).
The management dilemma can also be triggered by an early signal of an opportunity or growing evidence that a fad may be gaining staying powerlike the growing interest in low-carbohydrate diets indicated by the number of broadcast news segments and print news stories
over an extended period of time.
Identifying management dilemmas
is rarely difficult (unless the organization fails to track its performance
factorslike sales, profits, employee
turnover, manufacturing output and
defects, on-time deliveries, customer
satisfaction, etc.). However, choosing
one dilemma on which to focus may
be difficult. Choosing incorrectly will
direct valuable resources (time, manpower, money, and equipment) on a
path that may not provide critical
decision-making information (the
purpose of good research). As a marketing manager, only practice makes
you proficient at identifying which
are real problems and which are not,
as well as correctly discerning the
scope of the dilemma to be researched. For new managers, or established managers facing new
responsibilities, developing several
management-research question hierarchies, each starting with a different
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1
Discover
Management
Dilemma
1a Exploration
An increasing number of letters
and phone complaints about
postpurchase service.
Stage 1: Pre-Austin
1. PC magazines annual survey
of service, repair & tech
support
2. Published customer
satisfaction comparisons
Stage 2: Austin Meeting
1. Production: 5,000/mo.
2. Distribution through computer
superstores and independent
mail order co.
3. CustomCare process
Stage 3: Post-Austin:
Brainstorming & company
letters
1. Possible problems:
(a) Employee shortages
(b) Tech-line operator training
(c) Uneven courier performance
(d) Parts shortages
(e) Inconsistent repair servicing
(f) Product damage during repair
(g) Product damage during
shipping
(h) Packaging and handling
problems
2
Define
Management
Question
What should be done to improve
the CompleteCare program for
MindWriter product repairs
and servicing?
3
Define
Research
Question(s)
2a Exploration
Interviews with
Service manager
Call center manager
Independent package
company account
executive
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>snapshot
A Love-Match between Lexus and Research
dilemma, will assist in the choice process. In all figures related to the research process model,
in this and subsequent chapters, we use an inverted pyramid to represent the management-research question hierarchy.
Subsequent stages of the hierarchy take the marketer and his or her research collaborator
through various brainstorming and exploratory research exercises to define the following:
Management questiona restatement of the marketers dilemma(s) in question
form.
Research question(s)the hypothesis that best states the objective of the research;
the question(s) that focuses the researchers attention.
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Investigative questionsquestions the researcher must answer to satisfactorily answer the research question; what the marketer feels he or she needs to know to arrive
at a conclusion about the management dilemma.
Measurement questionswhat participants in marketing research are asked or what
specifically is observed in a research study.
The definition of the management question sets the research task. So a poorly defined management question will misdirect research efforts. In Chapter 5, we explore this critical stage
in more detail in our search to clarify the research question.
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Revise question
Research
Question
Propose
Research
Obtain
Budget and
Design
Approval
Cost exceeds
value
Management
Decision
without
Research
Rejected
Approved
Execute
Research Design
between the result of decisions made with the information and the result that would be made without
it.3 While such a criterion is simple to state, its actual application presents difficult measurement problems.
Not all marketing research is contracted by profitoriented
enterprises or with profit-oriented objectives
Walt Disney
in mind. Churches, trade associations, and foundations
are examples of nonprofits that do marketing research on a regular basis. This, however, does
not eliminate the need for such organizations managers to prove the value of undertaking
marketing research. Ultimately, a marketer will be making a decision that will rely on the insights extracted from the proposed research. The value of the decision with the research
however it is measuredmust exceed the value of the decision without research.
Evaluation Methods
Option Analysis Some progress has been made in the development of methods for
assessing the value of research when management has a choice between well-defined options. Managers can conduct a formal analysis with each alternative research project judged
in terms of estimated costs and associated benefits and with managerial judgment playing
a major role.
If the research methodology can be stated clearly, one can estimate an approximate cost.
The critical task is to quantify the benefits from the research. At best, estimates of benefits
are crude and largely reflect an orderly way to estimate outcomes under uncertain conditions. To illustrate how the contribution of research is evaluated in such a decision situation, we must digress briefly into the rudiments of decision theory.
Decision Theory When there are alternatives from which to choose, a rational way
to approach the decision is to try to assess the outcomes of each action. The case of two
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WASSUP? from Donatos Pizza
pizza flavor positioning, which was reinforced by its Edge-toEdge toppings. Instead, Donatos chose a more expensive, but
true-to-positioning, product that incorporated protein crisps and
tested well with pizza eaters. Following the discovery of a highheat-resistant paper that could serve as both baking and serving
plate, the company did in-store trials in two restaurants. In-store
postpurchase surveys of diners told Donatos its No Dough pizza
was a winner. Donatos rolled out the No Dough pizza to its 184
restaurants in January 2004. The menu board now shows three
crust versions: original crispy, traditional, or No Dough. Diners
simply choose their favorite pizza toppings and choose the No
Dough option. Increased visits from Atkins dieters and purchases from a hidden segment, gluten avoiders, propelled sales
increases. Coverage in numerous local papers and TV segments, on the Today show, and in the New York Times helps Donatos own the low-carb position in pizza in its markets.
www.donatos.com
To learn more, read the case on your DVD: Donatos: Finding
the New Pizza.
choices will be discussed here, although the same approach can be used with more than two
choices. Youll find an example of decision theory on this books DVD.
Two possible actions (A1 and A2) may represent two different ways to promote a company,
support a cause, design a product, and so forth. The manager chooses the action that affords
the best outcomethe action choice that meets or exceeds whatever criteria are established
for judging alternatives. Each criterion is a combination of a decision rule and a decision
variable. The decision variable might be new customers captured, contribution to profits, time required for completion of the project, and so forth. For MindWriter, the decision
variable might be number of postservice complaints or the level of postservice satisfaction. Usually the decision variable is expressed in a quantifiable measure, often in dollars,
representing sales, costs, or some form of profits. The decision rule may be Choose the
course of action with the lowest loss possibility or, perhaps, Choose the alternative that provides the greatest number of retained customers. For MindWriter, the decision rule might be
Choose the alternative that provides the highest level of postservice satisfaction.
The alternative selected (A1 versus A2) depends on the decision variable chosen and the
decision rule used. The evaluation of alternatives requires that (1) each alternative is explicitly stated, (2) a decision variable is defined by an outcome that may be measured, and
(3) a decision rule is determined by which outcomes may be compared.
Prior or Interim Evaluation Some research projects are sufficiently unique that
managerial experience provides little aid in evaluating the research proposal. Additionally,
the management information need may be so great as to ensure that the research is approved. In such cases, managers may decide to control the research expenditure risk by doing a study in stages. They can then review costs and benefits at the end of each stage and
give or withhold further authorization.
Ex Post Facto Evaluation If there is any measurement of the value of research,
it is usually an after-the-fact event. Using an estimate of alternative decision choices, the
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preresearch likelihood that a decision choice would be selected, and a postresearch projection of the implemented decisions contribution to profitability (or some other decision
variable), a researcher can estimate the contribution value of a research project. One such
study using one manufacturers research activities reported that 40 percent of the research
actually directed the manager to the appropriate decision. Using data on profitability contribution and on direct research costs only, the researcher calculated a 312-fold return on the
manufacturers investment.4 While the postresearch effort at cost-benefit comes too late to
guide a current research decision, such analysis may sharpen the managers ability to make
judgments about future research proposals.
The research design is the blueprint for fulfilling objectives and providing the insight to
answer managements dilemma. The field of marketing research offers a large variety of
methods, techniques, procedures, and protocols. For example, you may decide on reviewing published records (a secondary data study), or studying one particular example in great
detail (a case study), or conducting a survey, an experiment, or a computer simulation. If a
survey is selected, should it be administered by mail, computer, telephone, the Internet, or
personal interview? Should all relevant data be collected at one time or at several different
points in time? What kind of structure will the questionnaire or interview guide possess?
What question wording should be employed? Should the responses be scaled (Please evaluate each of the following criteria for selecting a store for product X on a scale of 1 to 5,
where 5 is critically important and 1 is not important.) or open-ended (What is most important to you when choosing a store for product X?)? How will you ensure that the data
you collect will accurately and precisely answer the managers dilemma? Will characteristics of the interviewer influence responses to the measurement questions? What kind of
training should the data collectors receive? Is a sample or a census to be taken? What types
of sampling should be considered? These questions represent only a few of the decisions
that have to be made when just one method is chosen.
While selecting an appropriate design may be complicated by this range of options, the
creative researcher actually benefits from this confusing array of options. The numerous combinations spawned by the abundance of tools may be used to construct alternative
perspectives on the same problem. By creating a research project using diverse methodologies, researchers are able to achieve greater insight than if they adopted the most frequently
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>snapshot
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and the Dairy Fairy
If you were Kraft and discovered that, while sales of sliced cheese
were increasing, your brands sales were decreasing, you might
turn to advertising to reverse the slide. But just what would you
sayand how? Faced with this situation, Kraft sent ethnographers from Strategic Frameworking to talk with moms aged 25 to
64 who were fixing sandwiches in their kitchens. Focus groups
then reinforced that moms feel good about giving their kids cheese
because of its nutritional value. Focus groups also revealed that
even though their kids preferred Kraft slices, a price difference
could persuade moms to purchase a competitive brand. A subsequent phone survey by Market Facts revealed moms would buy
the pricier Kraft slices due to extra calcium. Next came TV-commercial tests for two spots featuring the good-taste-plus-thecalcium-they-need message. A spot featuring a straightforward
message didnt score as high as one featuring kids scarfing down
used method or the method receiving the most attention in the media. Although pursuing research on a single research problem from a multimethod, multistudy strategy is not currently
the norm, such designs are getting increasing attention from marketing researchers and winning numerous industry awards for effectiveness. The advantages and disadvantages of several competing designs should be considered before settling on a final one.
Jasons preference for MindWriter is to collect as much information as possible from an
exploration of company records, interviews with company managers of various departments, and multiple phone surveys with CompleteCare service program users. Financial
constraints, however, might force MindWriter to substitute a less expensive methodology:
a self-administered survey in the form of a postcard questionnaire sent to each CompleteCare service program user with his or her returned laptop, followed by phone contact only
with those who dont return the postcard.
We discuss identifying and classifying various research designs in Chapter 8, while in
Chapters 9 through 15 we provide information on specific methodologies.
Sampling Design
Another step in planning the research project is to identify the target population (those people, events, or records that have the desired information and can answer the measurement
questions) and then determine whether a sample or a census is desired. Taking a census requires that the researcher examine or count all elements in a target population. A sample
examines a portion of the target population, and the portion must be carefully selected to
represent that population. If sampling is chosen, the researcher must determine which and
how many people to interview, which and how many events to observe, or which and how
many records to inspect. When researchers undertake sampling studies, they are interested
in estimating one or more population values (such as the percent of satisfied service customers who will buy new MindWriter laptops when the need arises) and/or testing one or
more statistical hypotheses (for example, that highly satisfied CompleteCare service customers will be far more likely to repurchase the MindWriter brand of laptops).
If a studys objective is to predict repeat purchase of laptop brands, then the target population might be defined as all laptop computer owners. In the MindWriter example, given the
speed with which technology changes, terms like laptop would need to be defined. Would
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>picprofile
The Bush and Kerry 2004 presidential campaigns had a potential new research source thanks to
Motorola and Rock the Vote. Motorola, a $27.1 billion global company in the wireless, broadband,
and automotive communications arenas, partnered with Rock the Vote, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to engage the youth segment in the political process, to create the Rock the
Mobile Vote campaign. A significant element of this campaign was the polling of youths on their political awareness, knowledge, and position on political issues like education, war on terrorism, job
creation, and so on. Biweekly, polling questions were sent to mobile handsets of youths 18 to 30
who opted in via the RocktheVote.org Web site to be part of the Get Loud aspect of the campaign. Approximately 50 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds own mobile handsets. The objective of the
campaign was to drive 20 million youth voters to the polls. Freebees like ring tone and graphic
downloads and contests encouraged participation. www.motorola.com; www.rockthevote.org
Pilot Testing
Given that thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours can be committed to a research project, the last step in research design is often a pilot test. The researcher may opt to skip pilot testing to condense the project time frame.
A pilot test is conducted to detect weaknesses in research methodology and the data collection instrument, as well as to provide proxy data for selection of a probability sample. It
should, therefore, draw subjects from the target population and simulate the procedures and
protocols that have been designated for data collection. If the study is a survey to be executed by mail, in the pilot test the questionnaire should be mailed. If the design calls for human observation, then a trained observer should collect the data with the appropriate
observation checklist. The size of the pilot group may range from 25 to 100 subjects, depending on the research method to be tested, but the participants do not have to be statistically selected. In very small populations or special applications, pilot testing runs the risk
of exhausting the supply of respondents and sensitizing them to the purpose of the study.
This risk is generally overshadowed by the improvements made to the design by a trial run.
Pilot testing has saved countless survey studies from disaster by using the suggestions
of the participants to identify and change confusing, awkward, or offensive questions and
techniques. Using pilot testing in an interview study for EducTV, an educational television
consortium, a disaster was averted. The pilot test revealed that the wording of nearly twothirds of the questions was unintelligible to the target group, later found to have a median
eighth-grade education. The revised instrument incorporated the respondents own language and was successful. We discuss one of pilot testings most common variations, the
pretesting of survey instruments, in Chapter 15 and Appendix 15b.
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>snapshot
Taking the Mystery Out of Mystery Shopping
When a retail salesperson receives a visit from a mystery shopper, its all about processes. Amy Davidoff, president of MarketVoice Consulting, designs a mystery shopping study by
starting with a clear understanding of the clients process priorities. Then she partners with the client to develop a shopper form,
the detailed checklist of observations that will be recorded, as
well as plenty of space for extensive written comments about the
experience in general and for all items that received scores below a pre-specified level. While a shopper might target a particular sales associate within a retail environmentbased, for
example, on an accumulation of consumer complaintsmore
often a retail manager contracts for periodic shoppings over a
specified time. For one food and entertainment facility, shares
Davidoff, the shop form was 14 pages, covering a 2-hour shopping experience. (A more typical shop form is 5 to 7 pages.) The
shop started when the shopper entered the door, included food
Managers need information and insights, not raw data, to make appropriate marketing decisions. Researchers generate information and insights by analyzing data after their collection. Data analysis usually involves reducing accumulated data to a manageable size,
developing summaries, looking for patterns, and applying statistical techniques. Researchers then interpret their findings in light of the managers research question or determine if the results are consistent with their hypotheses and theories. Increasingly, managers
are asking research specialists to make recommendations based on their interpretation of
the data. We address data analysis and interpretation in Chapters 18 to 22.
A modest example involves a market research firm that polls 2,000 people from its target population for a new generation of wallet-sized portable telephones. Each respondent
will be asked four questions:
1. Do you prefer the convenience of Pocket-Phone over existing cellular
telephones?
2. Are there transmission problems with Pocket-Phone?
3. Is Pocket-Phone better suited to worldwide transmission than your existing cellular phone?
4. Would cost alone persuade you to purchase Pocket-Phone?
The answers will produce 8,000 (2,000 4) pieces of raw data. Reducing the data to a
workable size will yield eight statistics: the percentages of yes and no answers to each
question. When the researcher adds a half-dozen demographic questions about the participants, the total amount of data easily triples. If the researcher scaled the four key questions
(asking the participants to provide a number from 1 to 5 for each question) rather than eliciting yes-no responses, the analysis would likely require more powerful statistical analysis
than summarization.
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training, researchers are rarely well versed in every possible methodology. Out of a need for
control or comfort, some will rely only on methods with which they have experience.
Persons knowledgeable about and skilled in some techniques but not in others may be
blinded by their special competencies. Their concern for technique dominates the decisions
concerning what will be studied (both investigative and measurement questions) and how (research design). The availability of technique is an important factor in determining how research will be done or whether a given study can be done. The marketing decision maker
sponsoring the research should be wary of inappropriate-technique-driven research proposals.
We discuss research techniques and when each is appropriate in Chapters 9 through 17.
In the MindWriter research, for example, numerous, standardized customer satisfaction
questionnaires are available to researchers. Jason may have done studies using these instruments for any number of his clients. Myra should be cautious. She must not let Jason
encourage her acceptance of an instrument he has developed for another client, even
though he might be very persuasive about its success in the past. Such a technique might
not be appropriate for MindWriters search to resolve postpurchase service dissatisfaction.
We discussed decision
support systems in
Chapter 2.
The existence of a pool of information or a database can distract a manager, seemingly reducing the need for other research. As evidence of the research-as-expense-not-investment
mentality mentioned in Chapter 1, managers frequently hear from superiors, We should use
the information we already have before collecting more. Modern marketing information
systems are capable of providing massive volumes of data. This is not the same as saying
modern marketing information systems provide substantial knowledge or decision-making
insights.
Each field in a database was originally created for a specific reason, a reason that may or
may not be compatible with the management question facing the organization. The MindWriter service departments database, for example, probably contains several fields about the
type of problem, the location of the problem, the remedy used to correct the problem, and so
forth. Jason and Myra can accumulate facts concerning the service, and they can match each
service problem with a particular MindWriter model and production sequence (from a production database), and, using yet another database (generated from warranty registration),
they can match each problem to a name and address of an owner. But, having done all that,
they still arent likely to know how a particular owner uses his or her laptop or how satisfied
an owner was with MindWriters postpurchase service policies and practices.
Mining marketing information databases is fashionable, and all types of organizations
increasingly value the ability to extract meaningful information. While such data mining is
often a starting point in decision-based research, rarely will this activity answer all management questions related to a particular management dilemma. In this text, we emphasize
research projects that tend to be nonroutine, nonrecurring, and complex, rather than those
that rely solely on database management.
Unresearchable Questions
Not all management questions are researchable, and not all research questions are answerable. To be researchable, a question must be one for which observation or other data collection can provide the answer. Many questions cannot be answered on the basis of
information alone.
Unresearchable questions include those for which past experience of the researcher or
experience of the greater research industry has revealed that the information does not exist
or cannot be gathered. An example is a study in which purchase information dating back 30
or more years is needed and no such records exist. It is unrealistic to assume purchasers can
recall purchase behavior that long ago with sufficient accuracy or in sufficient detail to be
useful.
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Just as human memory can be faulty, when we seek motivations from participants, we
may run into unresearchable questions. Sometimes customers and other participants simply dont know why they do what they do.
Questions of value and policy often must be weighed in management decisions. The multiple facets of the deliberations make many such questions unresearchable. During the early
and mid-1980s several product-tampering incidents of over-the-counter drug products resulted in deaths. Asking Should products be withdrawn if even one death is associated with
its prescribed use, even if no fault for the tampered product accrues to the manufacturer?
might qualify as an unresearchable question. While information can be brought to bear on this
question, such additional considerations as safety to society or fairness to stockholders or
an appropriate response to terrorist activity may be important value debates that add to the
decision. While we might be able to estimate a companys reputation or standing among its
stakeholders in a similar hypothetical situation, only after the fact could we determine what
people really felt about a company that was not responsive. When the managers responsible
for Tylenol faced such a question, even though they had feedback within 24 hours of the first
reported death, it was impossible to predict peoples reaction to a second death until it was reported. Johnson & Johnsons decision to replace Tylenol capsules with solid Tylenol caplets
ultimately was based on senior-level debate of such issues, not on direction provided by research that indicated that the public did not hold the manufacturer responsible for the dealths.9
Even if a question can be answered by facts alone, it might not be researchable because
currently accepted and tested procedures or techniques are inadequate. The development of
new techniques and methodologies is often the result of researchers frustration with unresearchable problems. Such problems become the motivation for innovation in methodology.
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>summary
1 Research originates in the decision process. A manager
needs specific information for setting objectives, defining
tasks, finding the best strategy by which to carry out
the tasks, or judging how well the strategy is being
implemented.
A dilemma-centered emphasisthe problems origin,
selection, statement, exploration, and refinementdominates the sequence of the research process. A decision to
do research can be inappropriately driven by the availability
of coveted tools and databases. To be researchable, a problem must be subject to observation or other forms of empirical data collection.
2 How one structures the research question sets the direction
for the project. A management problem or opportunity can
be formulated as a hierarchical sequence of questions. At
the most general level is the management dilemma. This is
translated into a management question and then into a research questionthe major objective of the study. In turn,
the research question is further expanded into investigative
questions. These questions represent the various facets of
the problem to be solved, and they influence research design, including design strategy, data collection planning, and
sampling. At the most specific level are measurement questions that are answered by respondents in a survey or answered about each subject in an observational study.
Exploration of the problem is accomplished through familiarization with the available literature, interviews with experts, focus groups, or some combination. Revision of the
management or research questions is a desirable outcome
of exploration and enhances the researchers understanding
of the options available for developing a successful design.
3 Budgets and value assessments determine whether most
projects receive necessary funding. Their thorough docu-
>keyterms
census 87
ill-defined problem 93
pilot test 88
data 89
investigative questions 83
research design 86
primary data 89
management dilemma 80
research process 78
secondary data 89
management question 82
research question(s) 82
management-research question
hierarchy 80
sample 87
data analysis 90
decision rule 85
decision variable 85
measurement questions 83
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>discussionquestions
Terms in Review
1 Some questions are answerable by research and others are
not. Using some management problems of your choosing,
distinguish between them.
2 Discuss the problems of trading off exploration and pilot
testing under tight budgetary constraints. What are the immediate and long-term effects?
3 A retailer is experiencing a poor inventory management situation and receives alternative research proposals. Proposal 1
is to use an audit of last years transactions as a basis for
recommendations. Proposal 2 is to study and recommend
changes to the procedures and systems used by the shipping/receiving department. Discuss issues of evaluation in
terms of:
a Ex post facto versus prior evaluation.
b Evaluation using option analysis and decision theory.
Making Research Decisions
4 Believing that every employee contributes to marketing in an
organization, the president of Oaks International Inc., when
confronted by low productivity and rising customer complaints, is convinced by a research supplier to study job satisfaction in the corporation. What are some of the important
reasons that this research project may fail to make an adequate contribution to the solution of management problems?
>wwwexercise
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>cases*
Calling Up Attendance
Goodyears Aquatred
* All cases, both written and video, are on the text DVD. The film icon indicates a video case. Check the DVD Index to determine
whether a case has data, the research instrument, or other supplementary material.